Appearances Can Be Deceiving
by IloveBSG
Summary: Latest chapter: Kara and Sam on their honeymoon.
1. Chapter 1

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Chapter 1

"Thank you for agreeing to see me, sir," said Samuel Anders as he entered Admiral Adama's office.

"No problem Mr. Anders. What can I do for you?"

"Please; call me Samuel. And actually, sir, I think there may be something I can do for you."

"What would that be?" Adama inquired as he motioned for Anders to take a seat as he himself sat down.

"I haven't been here very long, and already it has become apparent that you have Cylon skinheads moving freely among the fleet." Just since his arrival two 'Brother Cavel' models had been thrown out an airlock and a suspicious nuclear detonation had blown up the ship Cloud Nine.

"Yes. We are aware of the problem. Unfortunately the only method of Cylon detection we have is time-consuming and requires a blood sample of any suspects."

"That's where I was hoping to be able to help. There were several models moving around freely on Caprica. I know what they look like; I could identify them for you."

Adama considered the man and the offer before him. It was pretty obvious that Kara had strong feelings for this man. She was practically blushing from excitement when she introduced them to one another, and blushing was not something he was used to seeing coming from Kara. If Kara trusted this man, that was good enough for him.

"What are you proposing?" asked the Admiral.

"My teammates and I could put on some exhibition pyramid games on each ship. I'd be able to scan the crowds very inconspicuously. We keep a few military guys around supposedly for crowd control. Then, if I spot a Cylon, I tell them and they quietly bring him or her in for questioning after the show. We keep it low key so no one panics. It might also help boast morale in the fleet – give people a taste of something from home."

Adama mulled over the idea. Considering the fact that Baltar was the one to develop the current Cylon detector and Laura Roslin had confided in him her doubts about Baltar's loyalties, he had often wished for another method of detection. Baltar's apparent unconcern about investigating the cause of the explosion also gave him reason not to trust the new president.

"Sounds like a good plan. How soon could you start?"

"As soon as I can make the arrangements; my teammates said they would be willing to participate. President Baltar wants civilians to start going down to the planet as soon as possible, and I'm sure you don't want the Cylons to spread down there."

"Agreed," he said as he stood up and extended his hand to Anders. "I'll have a list of contacts aboard different ships sent to you. You can work out the details with them. Anything else I can do to help?"

Anders stood as well and accepted the Admiral's outstretched hand. "Thank you, sir. I would like to make sure the number of people who know the real reason for the exhibitions be kept as small as possible; I learned on Caprica the importance of surprise." He didn't want Kara to know; she had enough to worry about without thinking he might be in danger.

"Very well; only myself, my XO, and Commander Adama will be aware of your true mission."

"Thanks again, sir."

"And Samuel?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Good hunting."

The first exhibition match had taken Samuel less than a week to arrange. It was being held on board the ship Celestra. If the buzz of anticipation on board the Galactica was any indication, the event would be an instant success. Samuel's only regret was having to start dealing with the way people were treating him again - whispering in the corridors when he passed by, asking him for his autograph, wanting him to give a play by play of some past game. It was the part of being a professional pyramid player that he liked the least.

It was only about a half an hour before the first exhibition was to take place. A make shift court had been set up in the cargo bay and stands to hold about four hundred people were in place. They were already starting to fill up, and the noise level was getting louder and louder. It was a lot smaller arena than he was used to playing in, but it would make it easier to see everyone's faces. The captain of the Celestra had personally come by to welcome him and had insisted on sharing a drink of his finest Ambrosia. Normally Samuel didn't like to drink right before a match, but he made an exception in this case since it was only an exhibition.

He was also supposed to be interviewed right before the match, but the crowd noise was getting louder and louder so they had asked him to wait in an office off to the side. He was looking at the pictures on the wall when the door opened behind him.

"Sorry I'm a little late. Shall we get started?" said a woman's voice as he heard the door close.

He knew he had heard that voice before. He turned around slowly and found himself staring at a Cylon model #3.

She stood facing him with an unreadable expression on her face. _Does she know that I know she's a Cylon? _Her face suddenly broke into a smile as she extended her right hand.

"I'm D'Anna Biers, fleet reporter," she said. "I'm here to interview you?" she added questioningly when he didn't say anything.

Samuel still wasn't sure what to do. If she really didn't know, then the safe thing to do would be to go ahead with the interview and inform the guards immediately afterwards.

He didn't want to get too close to her without some way to defend himself, though. He surreptitiously grabbed a letter opener off the desk beside him with his left hand as he extended his right hand out to hers. As their hands clasped he saw a flash of hatred in her eyes as her hand began to crush his. He had the answer to his question.

She may have had superior strength, but pyramid play had made him quite agile. He managed to knock her feet out from under her, but she grabbed his shirt, ripping it in the process, and pulled him down with her. He pulled the letter opener up to stab her with it, but she grabbed his wrist. He could do nothing but pound her hand into the wall behind her head to try and get her to release her hold. He could hear bones crunching in her hand, but she still would not let go. She bit into his shoulder, and he cried out in pain. He rolled over to try and get away from her mouth. His movements jostled the table beside them, knocking over an open bottle of Ambrosia which spilled down upon them. His rolling over had freed her other hand, and she was able to use both her hands to wrestle the letter opener from him. He looked around desperately for something else to use as a weapon. He grabbed her microphone which she had dropped when crushing his hand in hers and started beating her savagely about the head with it. With what little strength she had left she plunged the letter opener she still had in her hand into his chest. He gasped in surprise, hit her one more time, and passed out on top of her forcing the point of the letter opener all the way through his chest and out his back.


	2. Chapter 2

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Chapter 2

Lee Adama was on the flight deck of the Galactica about to return to the Pegasus after a meeting with his father when he heard the broadcast from a Raptor with a medical emergency requesting to land. Fearing it might be someone he knew, he stayed where he could see what was going on but not be in the way.

He was as shocked as everyone else was on the flight deck when he saw Samuel Anders being taken out of the Raptor on a stretcher hooked to a portable ventilator. Lee had only seen the man once, but the memories of him passionately kissing Kara had been seared into his mind. He hurried towards the medics who were already wheeling the stretcher towards the medical station.

"What happened to him?" Lee demanded.

"Don't know for sure, Commander," said the medic guiding the stretcher down the corridor. "They found him stabbed on top of a woman that he apparently killed."

"What!" was all Lee could say.

"Neither one of them was breathing when they were found. Mouth to mouth resuscitation revived him, but she wasn't so lucky. We do know he had alcohol on his breath; in fact, they both reeked of alcohol. He also has a nasty bite mark on his shoulder. It appears she may have bitten him."

"Do you know who she was?" Lee asked, suddenly very afraid of what the answer might be.

"I think you may have known her, sir. She was pretty famous in the fleet. She was blond, really pretty. Her name was D'Anna Biers. She was the reporter that did that nice story about the people working on the Galactia awhile back. Are you okay, sir?" the medic asked in alarm as he watched the Commander's face go white.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said as color returned to his face. "How did she die?"

"Well sir, I've seen a lot of pretty gruesome things in this job, but this was one of the worst. Her head and face were beaten to a bloody pulp. The only way we were even able to identify her was by the press id she was wearing."

They had arrived at the medical station. "Sorry sir, I need to fill in Dr. Cottle about his condition," as he motioned towards Anders.

"Yes, of course," Lee said as he was left alone outside of the medical station.

How could Kara have gotten mixed up with a man like that? He had been so afraid that it was her that had been murdered by this monster from the way the medic had begun describing the woman. And it well could have been. Something in Anders must have snapped after all the stress of being on Caprica after the holocaust. Thank the gods _she _wasn't with him when it happened. The thought '_It could have been Kara,'_ kept repeating in his head.

He put in a call to the Celestra and asked to speak to the investigators of the crime scene. They confirmed what the medics had told him. Additionally they mentioned that Anders had been in the room alone when D'Anna Biers had entered, and no one else had been seen coming or going.

"I'm no expert, Commander, but it appears that she died from blunt trauma to the head. Her only other injury seems to be one of her hands; several bones appear to have been broken."

"Thank you for your time. If you learn anything else please keep me informed," Lee said formally.

"Yes sir."

Immediately after hanging up Lee picked up the phone again and requested two armed guards be posted outside of the medical station. Anders certainly hadn't looked like he would be getting up any time soon, but Lee was not going to take any chances. _It could have been Kara - _was all he seemed able to think.

Kara knew something was wrong as soon as the top of her viper opened. Several members of the flight deck were standing at the bottom of her ladder with looks of sorrow on their faces.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she hurried out of the viper and down the ladder.

"Why am I having to repeat myself? What the frak is wrong?" she said loudly, looking around for someone to answer her question.

Chief Tyrol finally found his voice. "It's Sam," was all he could say at first. "A Raptor brought him in on a stretcher. They took him to Dr. Cottle." He looked down at the ground.

Kara didn't say anything else. The post flight debriefing was forgotten as she set off running for the medical station. The chief didn't have to say anything else; she knew from the way he was acting that it must be very serious.

She racked her brain trying to think of what Sam had had planned for the day. He and his former teammates had been scheduled to hold the first pyramid exhibition match on the Celestra today. Sam had been so happy! After a week or so of sitting around after first arriving on the Galactica he had come up with this idea, and there had been no stopping him. She had been glad he had found something to focus on besides her. She loved spending every minute she could with him, but she was afraid things were happening too fast. He had told her that he loved her for the first time two days ago. She had tried the same tactic she had used on Lee Adama when he had told her he loved her. She had teased him and made fun of him and treated him like it was all just a silly crush. With Lee it had worked; her mocking had sent him scurrying away looking like he regretted ever opening his mouth. Sam, however, had reacted completely differently. He had laughed at her teasing, held her in his arms, and told her she could believe whatever she wanted, but he knew he was in love with her. She had let him kiss her then. It was a deep and passionate kiss that also spoke of love. She knew in her heart that he really did love her and, despite the fact that she wasn't entirely sure exactly what her feelings for him were yet, her heart soared at the thought.

As she rounded the last corner she ran straight into Lee Adama.

"Sam's hurt, Lee," she said with a wild look in her eyes. She tried to push past him to go to Sam, but Lee stopped her.

"No, Kara!" Lee said loudly to get her attention.

Kara stopped and looked at Lee in bewilderment. Why was he stopping her?

"You can't see him right now," he said with sorrow in his voice. "He's in surgery."

"What happened to him? Do you know?" He didn't answer her. "Tell me!" she hissed.

Lee wanted to shout at her to run away from that monster, but he knew she would have to know why. He didn't want to be the one to tell her, though. He also didn't want to watch her heart break right in front of him.

He tried to choose his words carefully. "He was stabbed in the chest during a brawl."

"A brawl? Who would want to attack Sam?"

Lee didn't respond right away, and Kara started to lose her patience.

"Lee, what the frak is going on? Tell me right now. I have a right to know." She said with a fire in her eyes that he knew only too well.

Lee took a deep breath and said, "We don't know everything. He was found not breathing lying on top of a woman. They both smelled of Ambrosia. She was already dead, but they were able to revive him. The bones in one of her hands had been crushed, and she had been beaten to death. The murder weapon was in his hand."

She took a step away from him and shook her head. "No," she utterly quietly. "It can't be."

Lee couldn't believe she could be in such denial. "Kara, something must have snapped inside of him. He was drunk and he attacked a woman – hell – he beat her to a pulp and crushed her fingers. Don't you understand, _that could have been you Kara!."_

Her head snapped up as he said those last words and the look of terror in her eyes made him cringe in anguish. He had wanted to stick to just the facts, but that phrase that kept repeating in his head had slipped out of his mouth and he could never take it back.

Kara turned around and started running.

She ran all the way to her rack, got in, pulled the curtain closed, and curled up in the fetal position facing the wall. She kept hearing Lee's voice saying, '_That could have been you Kara.'_

She didn't want to believe it, but she knew that he was right. She had somehow found the one man left in the universe that was the most like her mother.Her mother had been fine while sober, but if she had had too much to drink she became a different person – a mean, ugly person. Kara sobbed into her pillow. Not only had she found that one man, she had also managed to fall for him. How frakked up was that! She kept replaying in her mind so many memories of Sam and her together and she couldn't reconcile them with what Lee had told her. How could she have been so deceived? What an idiot she was!

She fell asleep exhausted from crying but awoke when she heard someone whispering her name. At first she feared it was Sam, but she realized he had to still be in the medical station. She peaked out of her curtain and saw Lee sitting on the opposite bunk. She wiped her eyes and opened the curtain.

Lee's heart broke to see her like that. He knew he would do anything within his power to help heal her.

"Kara," at first that was all he could say. Then he added, "I want you to come back to the Pegasus with me. You need to get away from here for a few days. You can stay in my quarters; you won't have to see anyone or talk to anyone. I'll make sure you're taken out of the flight rotation." It was all he could think to offer her – himself.

When Lee had told her about Sam and she had taken off running, it had reminded her of how she used to run outside and up the hill behind the house to get away from her mother's abuse. She would lie down and look up at the night sky and wish she could fly away to the farthest star she could see. Now she was up among those very stars and found it still wasn't far enough. The Pegasus was better than nothing; she would accept Lee's offer to get away from Galactica.


	3. Chapter 3

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Chapter 3

She somehow found the energy to physically get over to the Pegasus, but that simple trip exhausted her, and she spent the next 24 hours asleep in the fetal position in Lee's bed. When she finally awoke she continued to play memories of Sam over and over in her mind, desperately trying to find clues that she had missed that would have warned her of the danger.

"_Nice to know a regulation pyramid court is a priority of the resistance," she said with a smirk._

"_Well, there are some things one cannot live without," he responded flippantly._

"_Let's go," said Starbuck as she threw an armpad to Anders._

"_Are you kidding me? I'll wipe the court with you," he stated smugly. _

"_We'll see about that," she said laughingly. "I was up for the pros. Bum knee took me out of contention."_

"_I see. So is that going to be your excuse when I kick your ass? 'My poor knee hurts!' "_

"_At least I have an excuse. Can't imagine what yours is going to be," she said coolly._

_They began to play, and it was evident to Kara that she had indeed surprised him with her ability._

"_Nice shot," he said after she scored a point despite having their arms having become entwined._

"_Thanks," she replied breathlessly as they broke apart. She felt very aroused being that close to him._

_Samuel ended up winning by one shot, and it had taken every bit of his talent and physical strength to do it._

"_So how does a nice girl like you get a name like Starbuck?" Anders asked her after they had both had a chance to catch their breath._

_She stood up, looked him straight in the eye, and said provocatively, with just a touch of a smile on her face, "Who said I was a nice girl?" _

_The look on his face had been priceless._

"_I'm a pilot. A _Viper_ pilot," she continued. "Starbuck is my call sign. My name is Kara. Kara Thrace."_

"_Nice to meet you Kara Thrace," Anders said as he took her hand in his, raised it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles._

"_And just why do you feel the need to kiss my knuckles?" she said with a self-satisfied smile._

"_I thought maybe your fingers might be hurting."_

_She jerked her hand out of his and crossed her arms hiding her hands._

"_I know my hands always hurt after a pyramid match," he stammered. "and your style of play is very similar to mine. I just thought yours might be feeling the same way."_

"_Yeah, okay," she said, feeling relieved._

"_Come on," he said as he started walking. "There's an ice cold mountain stream behind these buildings. We can go soak our hands there."_

_The cold water felt so good they took off their shoes and soaked their feet as well._

"_You can't imagine how good this feels," said Kara. "After being in space for so many months and living with water rationing this feels positively sinful."_

"_Give me one of your hands," said Anders softly. _

_She hesitated for an instant, and then gave him her right hand. He sat down next to her, gently placed her hand under the running water, and tenderly massaged each finger. She didn't quite know what to make of him at first, but what he was doing to her hand felt so good she quickly relaxed. _

"_Where did you learn to do that?" she asked him._

"_One of the perks of being a professional athlete. They hire the best trainers in the world."_

It still didn't make any sense. He had seemed so gentle – someone she could trust. Going over all this continuously only served to give her a headache. She stretched out on Lee's bed and fell back asleep.

She dreamed she was back in the house where she had grown up. Her mother was drunk and was demanding that she stick out her hands. Her mother grabbed them and held them firmly. Then her mother turned into Sam, and he started squeezing her hands harder and harder while he glared at her.

"STOP – YOU'RE HURTING ME!" she screamed as she sat up in bed gasping for air. Lee had been sleeping on the couch in his outer room. He came rushing in and held her in his arms. She turned to lean against his bare chest and couldn't stop sobbing.

He rubbed her back to comfort her and whispered over and over, "It's okay, I'm here." With his other hand he gently guided her head down to rest on his shoulder. He continued to whisper to her as he tenderly kissed her forehead.

Suddenly she straightened up and turned to face him. She looked him in the eye and said, "There's something I want you to do for me."

"Whatever you need, Kara," he said soothingly.

"I want you to frak me," she said with heated eyes.

Lee froze. He remembered all too clearly what had happened the last time she had that idea. "Kara, no. Anything but that."

"Yes, Lee. You must. You have to help me get these memories out of my head. Their driving me insane; _help me!"_ she pleaded. She reached up and grabbed his head pulling his mouth to hers. She kissed him long and passionately.

He was starting to shake. He knew he would not be able to resist her for long, "No Kara; Kara, no," he repeated.

She pulled her tanks off over her head revealing her breasts. "You know you want me; you always have." She whispered. She pulled her panties off just as quickly.

"Not like this, Kara." He shook his head trying to clear his mind, but the sight of her completely naked was pulling him back towards the abyss he was desperately trying not to fall into.

She pulled him down till he was on top of her. She reached down to his waist, yanked his boxer shorts down, and started working the erection she knew she would find. A groan escaped from his lips.

"Yes, Lee. You must. You want to help me. This is the only way. Please. _Please_." She spread her legs and continued working him as she tried to guide his shaft to where she really wanted it.

Lee knew his soul was lost. There was nothing she could demand of him that he wouldn't give her even though he knew he might regret it for the rest of his life. How could he resist her when she was saying and doing everything he had ever fantasized about her? She was lying in his bed begging him to take her.

_It's not like last time… She really wants me to… She's not going to change her mind this time… She really wants me to… She really wants me to… She really wants me to…_

He plunged into her.

"Yes, YES, YES!" she almost screamed. "Harder!" she urged him. "Harder!"

"Frak me as hard as you can, Lee! Please! Harder! Please do it harder!" she was panting.

He was driving into her as hard as he could, and she was still begging for him to do it harder. Her pleas only seemed to fuel his desire for her. He came as she continued to beg him to frak her still harder.

As she felt Lee's body begin to relax after his climax she could still see Sam frakking her with what appeared to be love in his eyes. She pulled away from Lee, wrapped herself in the sheet in shame, curled up in a fetal position, and began to sob.

Lee was devastated. His mind had known this was a bad idea, but the knowledge hadn't been enough to stop him. He saw her lying curled up with her back to him crying her eyes out. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but he knew those words would be like cutting into her heart with a knife after Sam's betrayal. Hadn't _he_ uttered those words to her without meaning them? How would she ever be able to tell the difference?


	4. Chapter 4

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Chapter 4

Kara eventually cried herself back to sleep. Lee knew better than to even try to sleep himself, so he got up, got dressed, and was working on some paper work in the outer room when there was a knock on the door. He got up to answer it so as not to wake Kara. He opened the door and found his father standing there.

"May I come in?" his father inquired.

"Of course!" replied Lee. "What brings you to the Pegasus so early?" as his father entered the room.

"Is Kara here?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"She's asleep," said Lee. "In my bed," he added, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"When I learned of your request to have her removed from the flight rotation for a few days I assumed it was so she could be near Anders. Then when I saw Dr. Cottle and asked him how Kara was holding up, he informed me that she has never even been by to see him. Would you like to explain to me what's going on?" he said as he tried to keep the anger he was feeling out of his voice.

Lee knew his father well enough to know he was barely keeping his emotions in check; it just served to make Lee feel even more defensive.

"I was trying to keep her from being hurt. This man who managed to sweep Kara off her feet killed a woman in cold blood while he was drunk, Dad. That could have been Kara."

"What made you think he was drunk?" his father asked.

Lee looked confused. "The medic who brought him in said he had alcohol on his breath and that he reeked of the stuff."

"Blood alcohol tests came back indicating a minimal level was in his system. The fact is, Lee, you have been jumping to conclusions. For Kara's sake, we owe him the benefit of the doubt until he wakes up and can tell us what happened. You knew he was secretly working to help us identify Cylons hidden in the fleet; this may have something to do with that. You also must know how much Kara cares for and trusts this man; I knew that the minute she introduced him to me. She has good instincts, son. I suggest you trust them too." He turned to leave.

As Admiral Adama opened the door he said softly, "You need to try and repair any damage you may have done to your friendship with her before it's too late." He turned and added in a much harder tone, "I expect Starbuck to be back on board the Galactica within the hour. Good day, Commander." as he closed the door behind him.

Lee stood there stunned. He had forgotten that Samuel was supposedly going to help try and identify Cylons hiding among the civilians on the other ships. He hadn't taken the news seriously because in his mind Anders would always be just a pampered pyramid player.

"Oops," said a voice behind him. "It seems that you may have neglected to fill me in on a few tiny details, _Commander_."

Lee spun around to see Kara fully dressed and leaning on the door frame, her jaw set and her eyes ablaze.

"Kara, I didn't think--"

"Oh, you were thinking alright," she interrupted him. She walked coolly over to him and stood just inches away from his face. "You were thinking _just_ how to play me, and what an opportunity you were handed! You could frak with my mind, frak with my body, and frak with Sam's reputation too, for good measure!" she was yelling at him.

She took a step back to take in a breath to help her reign in her emotions. What she wanted to say to him next she wanted to say without emotion in her voice. She didn't want him to think she was saying it only in the heat of the moment.

"And we both know which one of those was the worst frak in the history of fraks."

She let those words hang in the air a bit before she continued. "But now, I feel gratitude towards you. Yes, really I do. Because even with all your lies and innuendos I could never make myself believe I had been so wrong about how Sam feels for me. You've also helped me realize just how much I'm in love with him. When he told me he loved me I was so scared I felt like pushing him away and running away myself. But last night, after what happened between us, all I could do was cry because I knew I loved him with all my soul and no matter what I tried to do to forget him, and no matter what he may have done, that wasn't going to change."

"And there's one more thing I'm grateful to you for, Adama, and that's having the rank of Commander. Because that got you out of the cockpit, and I don't ever have to worry about being the wingman for someone I don't trust enough to watch my back."

She yanked open the door and walked out.

Lee felt frozen to the spot where he was standing. Kara had so thoroughly managed to slice him up with that sharp tongue of hers that he felt if he moved, pieces of him would collapse in a heap. He continued to stand there contemplating the two conversations he had just had. Obviously his father had been right; he had jumped to conclusions. Just because Anders hadn't been drunk, though, he _had_ still apparently killed that woman. She was the one that had produced that flattering report about the people serving on Galactica. Why would she have produced such a glowing story if she had been a Cylon? A more negative story would have sown discord among the entire fleet. It didn't make any sense!

The things Kara had said to him, though; those had been far worse than the disappointment he had heard in his father's voice.

_The worst frak in the history of fraks…you've helped me realize just how much I'm in love with him…_ _I don't trust you enough to watch my back. _

He wished he could be mad at Kara. He was so good at feeling righteous indignation towards her when she frakked up. Now their roles were reversed; he had been the one that had frakked things up, and she was showing him no mercy. How many times had he done that to her? How many times had she tried to explain things and he had shut her out? Kara always seemed to know that eventually he would calm down, listen to what she had to say, and forgive her. He hoped that same pattern would hold true now, but somehow he doubted it. After all, he had just helped drive her into the arms of Samuel Anders. Left alone Samuel's declaration of love for her would probably have led her to distance herself from him. Lee's concern for her had backfired into driving them together. With _him_ to run to why would she need Lee in her life? Why would she even want Lee in her life?

Why oh why had they revived him after his crash in the blackbird?

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Author's note: This is the first fan fic I have written. Is anybody reading it? I would appreciate comments, good or bad. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Chapter 5

Kara's fury with Lee as she left his quarters soon gave way to feelings of guilt concerning Sam. True, she had never been able to bring herself to believe the worst about Sam, but why hadn't she believed in him enough to stay by his side? She wished she could be as fearlessness as everyone thought Starbuck was, but she knew it was just a façade. She had literally run away from his bedside because she had been afraid. What a fraud she was! Chalk this up as yet another one of her frak-ups.

She found herself in the hangar bay of the Pegasus. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even remember how she got there. Fortunately a shuttle to Galactica was scheduled to leave in ten minutes.

As the Raptor left the Pegasus behind, she caught sight of the huge battlestar out of the window; seeing it made her think of Lee again. Had he himself really believed the lies he had told her? Maybe he had, but that didn't excuse his behavior. He wanted to believe the worst about Sam; this situation had just given him that opportunity. Wasn't he doing to Sam what he usually did to her - judging before he had all the facts and jumping to conclusions? It was bad enough when she took the brunt of it herself; watching him do it to someone else struck her as the ultimate in arrogance. She had watched him do it to his own father; Lee had blamed him for Zack's death. That time, though, her own guilt had led Kara to feel relief that his outrage wasn't aimed at her. At one time she had wondered if she and Lee could ever be happy together as more than friends. This latest episode just confirmed what her gut had always told her; their relationship was just too frakked up for that, and hadn't she just overheard the Admiral say she had good instincts?

As the Pegasus became smaller and smaller in the window Kara reflected on how most people (at least those not from Galactica) thought of it as the pride of the fleet. She only saw a massive, impersonal battlestar. Her gaze shifted to the pilot's window through which she could see the Galactica appear to grow in size as they grew nearer and nearer. Although much smaller and much, much older than the Pegasus, this ship felt dear and familiar to her. Her feelings for the ships themselves mirrored her feelings about the people on board of each.

As they approached the Galactica she became impatient for it to hurry and land. She had to get to Sam even though she knew she needed to check the flight rotation; she wasn't even sure how long she had been on the Pegasus.

As she exited the viper she caught sight of Chief Tyrol. "Chief! Do you know when my next shift starts?"

He looked down at his clipboard. "Not for another hour."

"Great! I'll see you then," she said as she sprinted off in the direction of the medical station.

She ran all the way, but when she reached her destination she hesitated to go further. What would she say when Sam asked her where she had been? _We can work through that, _she told herself and went inside.

Kara found Dr. Cottle standing at the foot of Sam's bed when she pushed the curtain aside. He glanced up briefly from the chart he was holding and said, "Nice of you to join us," as he returned his gaze to what he had been reading.

"How is he, Doc?"

"He'll live. Not so sure he'd ever be able to play pyramid professionally again, but since there are no professional leagues any more that shouldn't pose much of a problem."

"What the frak is that supposed to mean?" Kara asked impatiently.

"His left lung took the brunt of the attack; we keep having to drain fluid out of it. Hell, he had a letter opener go in one side and out the other. One of his bronchi was almost completely severed. She only got off a few stabs but they did a lot of harm. He should be able to live a normal life, but the physical strain of something like serious pyramid play is out of the question."

Kara was visibly shaken. She guessed that Sam felt the same way about playing pyramid that she did about flying a viper; she could only imagine how she would feel if she was told she would never be able to fly again.

"Has he woken up yet?" Kara asked tentatively.

"No, but that's because I have him sedated. If he wakes up and moves around too much he might reinjure himself. I'll give him another day before I cut back on the meds keeping him knocked out."

Kara found herself relieved to know he hadn't been awake wondering where she was. He had spent three months back on Caprica wondering why she hadn't returned after she departed for the fleet; she didn't want to put him through that ever again.

She stayed by his side as long as she could then ran to the head for a shower and reported to the hangar deck right on time for her shift. She hoped the Cylons wouldn't choose now to show up; she was still trying to make sense of everything that had happened, and she knew fighting Cylons without 100 concentration was asking for trouble. Her CAP shift went by uneventfully, however, and she returned to Sam's bedside as soon as she was able.

She sat down in a chair beside his bed and reached out to hold his hand. It was reassuring to feel his hand in hers, and she closed her eyes and remembered that morning back on Caprica…

_She had gotten up before him and had hoped to get dressed before he woke. She had only managed to get her pants on before he looked at his watch and said, "We don't have to be up for another hour."_

_She ignored him and continued looking for her clothes. "So what are you going to do if you can't make it back to your ship?" he asked as he sat up._

"_I'm getting back," she said determinedly. _

"_I know we were able to take your sorry ass by surprise."_

"_Frak you!" she said, her eyes shining intensely at him._

"_Nice, but the truth is…we really don't know what the hell we're doing. A lot of our tactics are just stuff we saw in the movies. We could use some professional advice." _

"_You want some advice? You're on the losing end of this fight. Give it up before you all die. Head up into the mountains above the ambient radiation and just hole up."_

"_And what? Wait to die?" he asked._

_She knew she wouldn't have wanted to hear the advice she was offering either if their roles had been reversed. "As soon as I get back to Galactica I'll send a rescue party."_

"_Yeah, right!" he said disbelievingly._

"_If I say I'm going to do something, I do it." _

"_You always such a bitch in the morning?"_

_She threw her sock down, walked over, glared down at him, and said, "Count on it," as she started to walk away._

_Sam grabbed her wrist, pulled her to him, and murmured, "My kind of woman…" as he amorously kissed her stomach. _

_A small gasp escaped her lips. She had felt aroused the day before just being in close proximity to him while playing pyramid; the feel of his mouth on her was even more intense. She found herself caught off guard; hadn't they just been arguing? She didn't like this feeling of not being in control. All she could think to say was, "Hey - we have a mission to accomplish."_

"_So what?" he said as he continued to kiss her.  
_

"_Mission!" she repeated as she pulled herself away and turned her back on him. _

"_Fine, whatever," said Sam rubbing his forehead in frustration. _

_She immediately regretted placing herself beyond his touch. She had to admit to herself that the attraction she had first felt towards him was now becoming overwhelming and the desire to have him touch her again made her utter words that Starbuck _never_ said. "I'm sorry, okay?" She was standing next to him again – very close in fact. "I didn't mean for it…"_

"_Gotcha!" he laughed as he interrupted her. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her on top of him as he lay back down. His eyes looked up at her with such playfulness she couldn't help but smile._

Kara stopped to think about what a pivotal moment that had been in their relationship. The masks had come down in that instant. Just as she hid herself behind the persona of Starbuck, Sam had hidden part of himself from the world as the leader of his resistance group. While their reasons for doing so may have been different (Kara's to keep the vulnerable part of her safe from the harsh world around her, and Sam's to provide decisive leadership to a group in a hopeless situation), they both needed someone with whom they could totally be themselves; they had found that in each other at that moment, and it would continue to bond them together.

"_So weak! So, so very weak!" she laughed in response. Her eyes were once again gazing at him intensely, but this time the desire she was feeling for him was there too. He took her hands in his, and she enjoyed the sensation of him caressing them as he had the day before. _

_He smiled as he looked up at her and said, "Lighten up a little bit. It's only the end of the world."_

_Her face broke into a huge smile. She felt the urge to dominate him as she pinned his hands to the bed. He did not resist, and his eyes, while still playful, also mirrored the longing she felt. Looking him over like a tigress surveying her prey, she bent her head down and kissed him passionately._

_As Kara continued to kiss him, she rubbed her body against his. She could immediately feel his erection beginning to form. While still kissing her he managed to whisper, "If you'll release me from bondage I'll make it worth your while."_

_Kara raised herself up enough to look in his eyes and replied in an alluring voice, "What do you have in mind?"_

"_You'll just have to take a chance if you want to find out," he said teasingly._

_She considered him for a moment, smiled, and said, "Let's see what you have to offer," as she sat up and released her grip on his wrists. She was still straddling him._

_He propped himself up on his elbows and continued to raise himself up till he was in a sitting position with Kara astride him. He smiled as he gazed into her eyes and then directed his attention to her breasts hidden behind an austere, military-style bra. He tenderly rubbed his face on the material between her breasts, breathing in the scent of her as his palms rubbed her nipples through the cloth. He slowly folded the bottom elastic up exposing the beginning curve of each breast and began kissing his way across the newly exposed skin._

_Kara's body was responding quickly to his attention, and a mixture of desire and impatience made her reach to jerk the bra over her head herself, but he stilled her hands and softly chided her, "No, let me," as he slowly pulled the bottom of the bra towards him and up to release her breasts. He let his tongue dampen each nipple and then softly blew across each one causing them to become hard as diamonds as he continued to slowly push the bra upwards. Kara lifted her arms straight up in the air to provide as little resistance as possible. Some part of her brain recognized this posture as a form of surrender, and surrender was just what she was feeling. Finally the bra came off and his right hand went back to caressing a breast while the other hand reached around to her back and pulled her tight against him. His mouth began to suck the nipple on the unattended breast. Kara could feel the heat rising within her as a moan emanated from deep within her._

_Sam withdrew his hands in order to undo Kara's pants. She moved her hips up to help facilitate the removal of the rest of her clothes, and she felt another thrill race through her body as he scooted down till his mouth was directly under the spot between her legs. His tongue began circling her center. Her fingers entwined themselves in his hair and pulled his head tight against her. He began frakking her with his tongue; at first it was very slow, but his pace picked up speed until it was entering her relentlessly. It didn't take long before she was screaming out, "Oh, Sam! … Oh, Sam!" repeatedly. Her orgasm left her breathless and she collapsed back on to his raised knees behind her._

"_I think there may have been a few Cylons in the southern hemisphere that didn't hear you, but other than that, I think everyone else left on the planet probably did." Sam said jokingly to Kara._

_Kara smiled an 'I feel too good to even argue' smile and just said, "Shut up!"_

Kara thought about how telling each other to 'shut up' had become an inside joke between them. Other people were mystified whenever one would tell the other to shut up and the other, instead of getting offended, would just smile a knowing smile.

_She took a deep, luxurious breath and said, "Let's find out if you're the strong, silent type or if I can get you to break my decibel level," as she shifted her position to take his shaft in her mouth._

_His body reacted like a bolt of electricity had surged through it, and an intense moan left his lips. _

_She stopped what she was doing long enough to tilt her head and say mischievously, "Mmmm… if that's any indication, my money's on you breaking the sound level."_

"_Shut up!" was all he managed to say during her brief reprieve. She returned her mouth to his erection and did indeed soon have him loudly testifying to the effect of her efforts._

_As he approached the point of climaxing, Kara stopped her ministrations, straddled him, took him in her hand, and rubbed the end of his shaft against her center. She could feel herself becoming quickly aroused again. She slowly lowered herself on to him, impaling herself on his shaft._

_They both felt the energy radiating out from the point of their connecting bodies. Sam raised himself up and wrapped Kara in his arms as she continued to ride him. She had him yelling her name and another thrill jolted through her body. They came together and collapsed into each others arms as they lay down beside one another. Sam gently brushed stray hairs from her face and kissed her tenderly._

Kara could sense someone standing near her and opened her eyes. It was Helo. "Hey," she said quietly to him as he came closer and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey yourself. How's he doing?" he whispered, following her lead.

Kara sighed and shook her head. "Doc Cottle seems to think he's out of the woods, but may have trouble in the long-term. He doesn't think he'll ever be able to play pyramids again professionally."

"Ouch. Has he woken up yet?"

"No, and the Doc doesn't want him waking up till tomorrow; he wants him to stay immobilized a little longer."

"Have you been here this whole time?" Helo asked with concern.

Kara felt a surge of guilt. "No, but I should have been."

Helo wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that, but he told her, "Kara, don't be so hard on yourself. I know better than just about anybody what you two mean to each other."

Kara drank in his words. "Thanks, Karl. I needed to hear that. Not everybody understands," she said, thinking of Lee.

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Comments would be greatly appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Chapter 6

Kara spent a restless night in the chair besides Sam's bed. She was not used to the antiseptic smells of the medical station; she much preferred the musty smell of cigar smoke mixed with spilled Ambrosia or the smell of oil and grease underneath a viper. Early in the morning after dozing off for a few hours, she awoke to find Dr. Cottle examining the patient.

Before she even had a chance to open her mouth to ask, Cottle informed her, "He had his last sedative dose during the night. He should wake up some time this morning. If you're here when he wakes, try and keep him from talking. We want him to put as little strain on his chest as possible."

"Right, Doc," she replied as she stretched her back, trying to get comfortable; sleeping in a chair always seemed to leave her stiff.

Kara stroked the top of Sam's hand softly and thought back to her time with him on Caprica again. Sex with Sam had been fantastic. She had purposefully not frakked anyone on Galactica since Baltar, being afraid she might slip up and call out Lee's name again. Remaining celibate was preferable to taking a chance on it getting back to Lee that she fantasized about him frakking her when she was in bed with someone else. She had taken to providing for her own release in the shower, but it had been worth it. All of that self-control, as well as any thought of Lee, went out the window, though, when Sam pulled her on top of him with his patented smile. But as wonderful as the sex had been, her memories of cuddling in his arms and talking afterwards were just as sweet.

Kara had never been a big fan of talking; she much preferred action to words. But even she had reached her limit between the trip back to Caprica against orders, the fight with the Cylon at the museum, the sight of her devastated home world, and the gunfight with Sam's band of resistance fighters. After all of that a normal conversation seemed so soothing to her. They had talked about many things. Sam had told her about growing up on a farm and losing his sister and parents on Picon from the attack. Kara took a chance and told him about her fiancé Zack dying a couple of years before in a viper crash – even the part of her being responsible. Zack was not something she normally brought up in a conversation, let alone to someone she had just met, but something about him made her feel safe in sharing that with him.

Zack had been on her mind quite a bit since meeting Sam; he reminded her of Zack in many ways. Zack had loved to play pyramids too, and she recalled being aroused while playing with Zack as she had been with Sam. Sam's smile was just as dazzling as Zack's had been, and he had the same boyish enthusiasm about him that made her laugh and her very soul feel joyful. But it was more than that; Sam, like Zack, had the ability to make her feel like she was the center of the universe which she took great pleasure from but would never have admitted to enjoying.

Sitting there beside his immobile body, she found herself sending a silent prayer to the gods of Kobol for Sam to be okay. There had been so much death and destruction since the attack; if something happened to Sam…

As if he could read her mind, Sam opened his eyes. His eyes seemed to be trying to focus at first. After taking in where he was, his eyes met Kara's. Kara could have sworn they shone brighter when he saw her.

Even as she felt her heart beat faster she remembered Cottle's words and cautioned him, "Sam, don't try to talk; you need to try and stay as still as possible." She stood up beside the bed and tenderly brushed his hair off his forehead.

Sam grimaced in pain as he obviously had felt the need to assess where he hurt. He nodded his head ever so slightly as if to say he would behave. Kara was still stroking his hand when he turned his hand palm up and gently held her hand for a second before bringing her hand up to his mouth and brushed her knuckles with his lips. Just that small amount of effort seemed to exhaust him as he released her hand and his fell back to his side.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" Kara asked him.

At first she could tell he was searching his memory; then a look of concern came over his face which scared her. What had led Sam to kill that woman?

"Sssii…" Sam was trying to say something.

"Sigh?" Kara asked. Then it occurred to her, "Cylon?"

Sam nodded but continued to look alarmed.

"Don't worry;" she told him and added softly, "she's dead."

Sam's head fell back against the pillow, and a look of relief spread over his face. Kara felt the same feeling of relief go through her. She didn't know all the details, but she knew enough; Lee had been dead wrong about Sam. A surge of anger towards Lee again started to erupt within her, but she quickly put that out of her mind. She needed to concentrate on helping Sam in any way she could.

Hearing Kara's voice, Dr. Cottle came over to check on Sam.

"I hope Thrace here explained to you that I don't want you trying to talk just yet. One of your lungs was severely injured. That tube in your chest is to drain the fluid collecting in your lung. It's on the mend, though, and we want it to keep getting better, so try not to move and no talking."

"How long will he have to stay here, Doc?" Kara asked Cottle.

"He needs to stay immobile for four or five more days. If he continues to recuperate like I expect, then I'll let him get up for short periods. Recovery is going to take weeks, if not months. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to check."

"One more thing, Doc. The woman with Sam – she was a Cylon."

"Yes, I know. The test results came back yesterday."

"If you knew, why the frak didn't you tell me?" Kara said, raising her voice slightly.

"Take that up with the Admiral. I was just following his orders to keep it quiet."

For the first time since she had learned of Sam being attacked, she felt hopeful that everything would eventually be okay.

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_Meanwhile, on one of the civilian ships in the fleet a man and a woman rendezvous discreetly. _

"_Did you hear about #3?" whispered the woman to the man._

"_Yes, I heard," he answered._

"_I think we need to deal with him immediately. We don't know who else he may be able to identify."_

"_No. We need to keep a low profile and stay out of his sight. That shouldn't be hard. He's somewhat of a celebrity; we should get word of him coming to one of our ships beforehand."_

"_What do we stand to gain by waiting?"_

"_As long as nothing happens to him, everyone will think there are no more Cylons in the fleet. Besides, I hear he's close to Starbuck."_

"_Starbuck!"_

"_Yes, Starbuck; we may be able to use that to our advantage when the time comes."_

"_You're right. Keep in touch; you know how to find me," she said as they broke apart and went in separate directions._

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_One month later…._

"Congratulations, Sam! Cottle has given you a clean bill of health," Kara told him as she threw her arms around his neck, tilted her head back and pulled his mouth to hers.

"Mmmmmm," was all he could manage with their lips locked together. As they came up for air he added, "It was all that expert nursing care you provided." He held her close with one hand while caressing her back with his other.

"Was that it, or was it knowing I wouldn't frak you again until the Doc said you were okay?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"That may have played a _small_ part in my recovery," he replied teasingly. "Anyway, let's celebrate. I've got a bottle of Ambrosia a friend gave me as a get well present. How about we go to the observation lounge tonight? There's something I want to ask you while we're there."

"Why can't you just ask me now?" she said quizzically.

"Nope; I want to wait till tonight. That ought to arouse enough curiosity in you to make sure you show up," he said winking at her.

"Curiosity is not all you arouse in me," she said as she looked up into his eyes. "But okay; I'll see you then," giving him another kiss. "I'm on shift in 15 minutes."

Sam stood there looking at the hatch she had just left through wondering about the best way to bring up the question he wanted to ask her.

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Kara was on her way to the hangar deck wondering what Sam might be planning to ask her. She nearly stumbled when the thought came to her that he might want to ask her to marry him. She knew that she loved him; any doubts about that had been burned away in the crucible she had found herself in when Sam had first been attacked. So why did the idea of marrying him scare her so?

Zack. The only time she had loved someone intensely enough to consent to marriage had been Zack. And Zack had died - because of her. She was afraid that somehow marrying Sam would end up killing him as well. She knew she was thinking irrationally, but if she truly believed that, didn't that mean she would never marry anyone? Is that what she wanted?

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That evening…

Sam spread out the blanket he had brought on the floor of the observation lounge and arranged the two glasses and bottle of Ambrosia. He kept going over in his head how he was going to ask her to marry him. He had hoped she had gotten his hint in the afternoon; he knew it would go better if he didn't completely surprise her. Kara was not the type of woman that wanted to be caught off guard. He had a feeling that the disastrous outcome of her engagement with Zack might make her reluctant to try again. He tried to anticipate any other reasons she might have to say no. He knew she returned his love; he didn't have any doubts about that.

As far as where they would live, he didn't care as long as he could be with her. She had risked everything to come back for him; and there was no sacrifice he wasn't willing to make on her behalf. Even as the weeks had gone by and she had not returned, he had refused to entertain the thought that she had simply decided not to take the risk. He kept picturing the look of determination in her eyes when she gave him her dog tag and promised him she would come back; he knew her promise was what had kept him alive. When everything else had gone wrong he kept remembering that moment; it was what kept him sane. He had also come to realize that being rescued had not been what he wanted most; being reunited with Kara was his heart's true desire. If any other rescue party had come back to Caprica he would simply have refused to go; life just wouldn't have been worth living without her.

All those months on Caprica fighting just to stay alive made him truly appreciate the new life he had been given – the new life _she_ had given him. Now his biggest task was to convince her to share that life together.


	7. Chapter 7

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Chapter 7

Kara walked into the observation lounge. She saw Sam pacing back and forth in front of the large window.

She was only a small distance away from him, but he was so lost in thought he had not heard her approach. Using her Starbuck intonation she put her hands on her hips and said, "So what was the question you wanted to ask me, Sam?"

Sam turned around quickly; she had startled him. "You don't waste any time getting to the point, do you?" he replied, coming over to her and embracing her.

It was hard to keep up the Starbuck swagger while being hugged, but she tried her best. "Well?" she asked again looking up at him as they broke apart.

She should have known better; Sam had never been one to be intimidated by Starbuck. He tenderly placed one hand on the side of her face while brushing a few stray hairs out of her eyes with the other. He lowered his mouth to hers and adoringly kissed her lips. As he kissed her she felt the agitation that had been building in her all day leave her body. Sam had always been able to affect her like this. He was quite direct in not only telling her he loved her, but showing her as well. It made her feel like he could look in her eyes and see her soul, and what he saw in there did not scare him or make him recoil from her. The first time she had felt that way it had scared the hell out of her; she had tried to push him away, erect the Starbuck façade, and hide behind it, but his honesty and openness with her would not allow her to keep it up for long. She needed that in him, especially when her inner demons and insecurities would flare up, like right now. The whole pretense would shatter and he would still be there loving her. They had gone through this cycle several times since his rescue from Caprica - enough times for her to know she his love was one constant she could count on.

"You know how much I love you," Sam began.

"Yes," she affirmed.

"And I want you to know that that will never change. I will always love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He was lightly kissing her face while he spoke. "And what I want to ask you is do you feel the same way about me, Kara?"

Kara thought about how he made her feel, not just now, but every time they were together. She did love him; she couldn't even imagine life without him. That was why she had been almost suicidal during that period when Scar was attacking, because she thought she would never see him again. When he was in the medical station recovering from his encounter with the Cylon bitch again she had had to face the thought of losing him. She knew that he made life worth living for her. He made her feel safe and brought out the best in her. He was the best thing that had happened to her since…since Zack.

"Yes, Sam, I do."

"How about we make it official then? Kara Thrace will you marry me?" Sam asked, hugging her close while still looking into her eyes.

The thought of Zack sent a chill down her spine. She had managed to frak things up superbly the first time she had agreed to get married. She wouldn't admit to being superstitious, but she did feel an aversion to becoming engaged. It was like announcing, 'I'm happier than I have a right to be!' and daring the gods to try and put a stop to it. She knew if she agreed to marry Sam she would be walking with a sense of doom hanging over her until the wedding. It wouldn't be from not wanting to marry Sam; it would be from fear of losing him like she had lost Zack.

"Yes, Sam, I'll marry you, but I want to do immediately. I don't want a long engagement."

"How about tomorrow?" he inquired with a smile. It was getting late and he wasn't sure they'd be able to make the arrangements that quickly.

"No. It has to be tonight – if you still want to marry me," she looked up into his eyes.

Sam heard the doubt in her voice, giving him an out in case he had changed his mind. He looked into her eyes and willed her to see the love he felt for her reflected there.

"What are we waiting for, then?"

Lee Adama was having dinner with his father in his father's quarters aboard the Galactica when there was a knock on the hatch. Both men let out quiet groans. Two months had gone by since Baltar had become president. At first everyone was willing to cut him some slack, knowing it would take him a while to learn how to run things. Now, however, people were beginning to realize that Baltar's one and only priority was settling on New Caprica; every other concern was left to languish. People began turning to the only other person they perceived as being able to get things done - Admiral Adama. So when for the third time that evening someone had come knocking, Lee said he would clear the dishes away while his father went to see who it was. Lee was tired of playing the role of concerned bystander while people poured out their problems to his father. He didn't understand how his father had the patience to deal with all these problems that should be handled by the President of the Twelve Colonies.

Out of sight of the hatch door Lee was surprised to hear his father when he opened it exclaim, "This is a nice surprise! Come on in."

"I – we – have a big favor to ask of you, sir."

Lee found himself frozen to the spot where he was standing. He didn't want to take a chance on missing a single word of what was said. He had recognized Kara's voice immediately.

"As the Galactica's leading officer you have the authority to perform ceremonies, don't you sir?"

"Of course. What kind of ceremony did you have in mind?"

Kara glanced from Admiral Adama to Sam back to the Admiral. "A wedding ceremony?" she said inquiringly.

A smile broke out on the Admiral's face. "Can I assume this would be for the two of you?"

Kara nodded, unable to speak as the Admiral embraced her in a tight bear hug. Finally he let her go and extended a hand to Samuel. "Congratulations, son."

Sam, with a big smile, shook his hand and said, "Thank you, sir."

"So when did this happen?" he asked as he motioned them to sit down.

Kara sat down next to Sam, looked at her watch, and replied with a smirk, "About 20 minutes ago."

"You're not wasting any time. Surely you knew there was no rush to see me, though. I'll be glad to perform the ceremony whenever you like. What time frame were you thinking about?"

"Um…how about right now?" Kara said intensely.

The Admiral sat there looking at her and Sam for several seconds before asking delicately, "What's the rush, Kara? Surely you want time to plan this?"

"No, sir, not really," was all Kara could bring herself to say before looking down at her hands fidgeting in her lap.

Sam added, "Kara doesn't want to be engaged. She said she would marry me as long as we could do it right away."

Adama reached out and rested a hand on Kara's knee. "Is this because of Zack?" he asked quietly.

Kara took a deep breath, slowly raised her head up, and looked the Admiral squarely in the eye. In her best Starbuck voice she answered, "I just don't see any point in waiting, sir. I know I want to marry Sam, I don't care about having a big, fancy wedding, and we both know in the times we live in none of us is guaranteed a tomorrow."

Admiral Adama sized her up for a few more seconds before saying, "Very well, then. I have a book around here somewhere called _Ceremonies from the Twelve Colonies_. I'll go try and find it. Kara, do you need any time to get ready?"

"I did manage to get my hands on a dress. Guess I'll need time to figure out how to wear it," Kara answered with a smile.

Admiral Adama was very glad to see her smile; he still had his suspicions that Kara's desire to avoid an engagement period was mainly due to Zack.

"Here's what I was looking for," said the Admiral, pulling the book off the bookshelf and handing it to Sam. "You thumb through that while I take care of a few things. Kara, you're welcome to use my bathroom to get dressed."

"Thank you, sir," said Kara as she gathered her bag with her dress and headed for the bathroom.

Admiral Adama left the outer room and headed for his bedroom. He found Lee standing just inside the doorway looking like he was in shock.

"I assume you heard?" he whispered to Lee.

"You can't be serious about performing the ceremony!" Lee challenged him.

"Why wouldn't I? He added gently, "It's what Kara wants, Lee."

"Who in their right mind gets married less than an hour after being asked?" was all Lee could think to say.

"Kara has always made decisions by the seat of her pants, Lee, you know that. She goes with her gut. Remember when Anders was attacked, you thought her trust in him was misplaced? Turned out you were the one that was wrong."

The Admiral searched his son's face. "Is there some other reason you object to this marriage that you aren't telling me?"

Lee dropped his head so his father couldn't see his face. How could he tell his father that he loved Kara, had always loved Kara, and that the thought of her marrying someone else was the most abhorrent thing he could imagine?

"No," was all he could bring himself to say while still not looking at his father.

"Okay then. Would you call down to CIC and see if anyone there could come to my quarters for a few minutes? We'll need another witness besides you. Meanwhile I have a call to make as well."

The blood drained from Lee's face. Serve as a witness to Kara marrying another man? Why not just go ahead and stick a knife in his heart?

Lee placed the call to CIC and spoke with Colonel Tigh who was the acting commanding officer. "Could you send a volunteer to the Admiral's quarters in a few minutes? He has been asked to perform a wedding ceremony and another witness is needed."

"Who's getting married?" inquired Tigh incredulously.

"Sorry Colonel, that information is available only on a need to know basis at this point."

Lee replied. He had no desire to hear Colonel Tigh's opinion on Starbuck getting married.

"All right, then," groused Tigh. "I'll send you your witness."

Lee went back to his father's bedroom where his father was just ending his call. "Thanks, Laura, I owe you one. Bye."

"Let me go fill Sam in on my call and find out if he's picked out a ceremony," said Adama to his son, leaving Lee standing all alone in the bedroom.

Just as he left the room, the bathroom door opened and out walked Kara. She was looking down at her dress, smoothing it out as she said, "I won this in a triad game awhile back. Haven't had a chance to try it on before now." Just then she looked up and saw Lee gaping at her. "What the frak are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

This was only the second time he had ever seen her in a dress. She was even more stunning than the last time. This dress was a low cut, simple ivory white with spaghetti straps. Reaching to the floor, it hung straight down, showing off her every curve. In fact, the top was slightly tight across her ample breasts causing her raised nipples to show unmistakably. Lee's breath caught before his gaze moved up to her face and her words finally registered in his brain.

"Evidently serving as a witness to your wedding," he responded coolly.

"Who asked you?"

"The Old Man."

She was silent for a moment as she considered his reply. "What is it you want from me, Lee?" She asked, changing the subject. Although she had called him by his first name, her voice still had an edge to it.

"I just want you to be happy, Kara." Lee answered. Kara knew Lee well enough to know when he was bottling up his emotions, and this was definitely one of those times.

She had not seen him since that fateful day in his quarters. If he really wanted her to be happy then why had he jumped at the chance to assume the worst about Sam? "Shouldn't I be the one to choose what makes me happy? Why do I have the feeling _you_ think you should be the one to decide?"

Kara's words, being so close to the truth, stung. He felt strongly that marrying Sam so quickly was going to be a huge mistake, but she was right that it was her decision to make, not his. All he could do as a friend would be to try and make her understand why she should not rush into this, except he was too close to her. No matter what reasons he could give her he knew she would think his personal feelings were clouding his judgment - again.

"Kara, nothing I say is going to change your mind, I know that. That just makes it all the harder to sit by and do nothing while you frak up your life because that's what I think marrying Sam will lead to."

She eyed him impassively before speaking. "Don't worry, _Commander"_ He noticed she was no longer calling him Lee, "I won't come running to you to pick up the pieces if I do 'frak up my life'. Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't want to keep Sam waiting any longer," she said as she brushed past him.

Lee followed her resignedly out of the bedroom into the outer room of his father's quarters. As he entered there was a knock at the hatch. Admiral Adama answered it to reveal petty officer Dualla standing there.

"I hear you need a witness?" she asked smiling as she entered. The smile quickly vanished as she saw Lee standing near Kara who was clearly wearing a wedding dress.

"What's going on?" she asked to no one in particular as her face paled.

"Kara and I are getting married," said Sam, moving over to Kara's side. "You look so beautiful," he whispered to her while enveloping her in his arms. He loosened his embrace to look at her face. "Are you ready to do this?" She nodded her head slightly and Sam's face lit up. He hugged her again tenderly.

Turning to Admiral Adama Sam asked, "Are we ready to get started?"

The Admiral was finishing his scan of the ceremony Sam had picked out. It was an unusual one originally from Picon. They would need a few items to perform the ritual, but that wouldn't be a problem. "Just give me a few minutes to get what we'll need and then we can get started."

"Samuel, you'll need to wear a short sleeve shirt, and you and Kara will both need to be barefoot," the Admiral instructed.

Samuel removed his outer shirt to reveal a gray t-shirt. Lee couldn't help but notice he still wore the dogtag around his neck that Kara had given him on Caprica. He sat down on the sofa to untie his shoes. Kara had some slip on pumps. She put one hand on the back of the sofa to steady herself as she reached down with her other hand to remove a shoe. It only required a slight amount of bending, but it was enough to give Lee an unobstructed view down the front of her dress. He caught his breath. Kara must have heard him, because she looked up at him and seemed to realize where his gaze was directed. She straightened up hastily and kicked off her other shoe without using her hands.

Lee really wished he had not seen what he had seen. Those were definitely not military issue panties. How am I going to get through all this? he asked himself. On top of everything else he could sense that Dee had not taken her eyes off of him since entering; he didn't dare meet her gaze just yet. He wasn't sure he would be able to hide from her all the emotions he was feeling right now.

The Admiral asked Kara and Samuel to stand before him with Kara on his left. "Lee you stand next to Kara, and Dee you stand next to Samuel, please, and we'll get started."

"We are gathered here to celebrate the union of these two people, Kara Thrace and Samuel Anders. Matrimony is a sacred state, not to be entered into impulsively. Do you both avow that you come to this point in your lives willingly and have thoughtfully considered what you are about to do?

"Yes," answered Kara and Sam in unison.

"Do you both consent to wear the mark signifying the union you are about to enter?"

"Yes," they once more repeated together.

"Please embrace one another so that your upper left arm Kara, and your upper right arm Samuel, are touching."

At this point Admiral Adama put down the book he was reading the ceremony from and picked up a shallow bowl with a dark liquid at the bottom. He turned a cup, which looked to Lee like it was rimmed with a sponge-like material, upside down and dipped it into the dark liquid. He walked around Lee till he stood on the opposite side of Kara and Samuel from which he had stood before. He lifted the cup up and let the excess liquid drip back into the bowl for a few moments. Then he brought the cup up to the embraced arms of Kara and Samuel and pressed it against their skin.

"Please loosen your embrace," he said as he redipped the cup back into the liquid. Their separation revealed an arc of a circle stained onto each of their arms. The Admiral put the cup back up to Kara's arm being careful to match the placement of the cup to the arc already there. He then rolled the entire edge of the cup against her skin transforming what had only been an arc a moment before into a perfect circle. He repeated this process on Samuel's arm and then returned to where he had begun the ceremony on the other side of them.

Placing the bowl and cup down and picking up the book again he stated, "Please embrace one another again so that the symbol on your arm shows only the one united circle. Also, Samuel, extend your left hand out in front of the two of you, palm side up. Kara, place your right hand on top of Samuel's, palm side down.

"Lee, put your right hand on top of Kara's and repeat after me, 'I, Lee Adama, stand today in witness of this union.'"

"I, Lee Adama, stand today in witness of this union." Lee had never witnessed a wedding ceremony quite like this one. He had not expected to have to do anything beside stand on the sidelines and sign a paper testifying to having witnessed the event.

"And Dee, you place your hand on top of Lee's and repeat after me, 'I, Anastasia Dualla, stand today in witness of this union.'"

Dee seemed to be enjoying the ceremony and smiled broadly as she repeated, "I, Anastasia Dualla, stand today in witness of this union."

"Samuel, repeat after me, 'I, Samuel Anders, promise to love Kara, cherish her always, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, so help me gods.'"

"I, Samuel Anders, …"

Samuel was repeating his vows, but Lee's mind was unable to process the words. He had definitely not been prepared to find himself actively participating in the ceremony. He was standing mere inches away from Kara's back able to breathe in her scent, able to hear each breath she took, able to feel her hand underneath his. She was assaulting his senses in every way imaginable without even being conscious of doing so. His hand was beginning to tremble. Dee's icy fingers gripped his in order to try and stop the tremors. The coldness of her hand was in contrast to the warmth of Kara's underneath his. Samuel's right hand rested on Kara's upper back just under his nose. Lee fixated on the strands of Kara's hair being held down by Samuel's hand. He didn't know why this bothered him so much, but he found himself wanting to reach up and release her hair from this man's grip. Sam's hand, however, loomed like a stop sign in his face, declaring Kara to be off limits to him. _That's what this is all about, isn't it?..._ _Forsaking all others… staying faithful to him…_

"Kara, repeat after me, 'I, Kara Thrace, promise to love Samuel, cherish him always, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, so help me gods.'"

Somehow he had not expected to feel this overwhelming sense of loss. He had focused so much of his thoughts on thinking how this marriage was a bad idea that would come back to haunt Kara, that he had never stopped to think how it would haunt him as well. He felt he was losing something precious to him and was impotent to do anything to stop it. His hand was still trembling despite Dee's best efforts, and he was beginning to feel claustrophobic.

Kara began, "I, Kara Thrace, promise to love Samuel…," Lee's heart began to beat faster and his breathing was coming out in rapid short bursts that were moving Kara's hair on her shoulder, "…cherish him always, in sickness and in health…" Lee could see goose bumps forming on her shoulder. Her head dipped down to her right for a second and he couldn't be sure but he thought he heard her mutter 'frak, Lee' before her head went back up and she finished her vows in a rush, "forsaking all others, so help me gods." Kara's head movement had caused the strands of her hair that had been trapped under Samuel's hand to become free. Lee didn't understand why this mattered so much to him, but it gave him a momentary sense of relief.

"So say we all," said the Admiral as he put both of his hands on top of Dee's.

"So say we all," Kara, Sam, and Dee responded in unison. Lee had totally forgotten he was supposed to reply as well.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Lee watched as Kara's hand slipped out of his and went up to the back of Samuel's head to bring his mouth down to hers. His mind went back to the image of Kara kissing Samuel the day she had returned with him from Caprica. Both times the sensation had reminded him of when he had been shot. This time even more so, because he felt himself falling…

The sound of Lee's body hitting the floor jolted everyone's attention away from the newly married couple.


	8. Chapter 8

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Chapter8

"I still don't think we should have rushed off like that," Kara said to Sam as they reached the hangar bay.

"Trust me." replied Sam, "I'm sure the last thing he would have wanted to see when he regained consciousness was two more faces peering down at him. Besides, his father will make sure he gets the best care possible." Sam smiled at Kara as he took her in his arms and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Speaking of the Admiral, he made a few phone calls and arranged a 48 hour honeymoon for us, so he knows where to find us if it turns out to be anything serious."

Kara melted into Sam's embrace and felt somewhat reassured, though she didn't mention to him Lee's strange behavior during the wedding ceremony. She wasn't sure what she would have said. Lee had been standing behind her where she couldn't see him, yet she had sensed something was wrong. His hand had felt clammy and had been shaking somewhat, and his breathing had seemed too fast, but she never would have expected that he was in any danger of passing out. Yet she had felt concerned enough to try and convey to him the need to pull himself together in the middle of the ceremony.

"So is it really true?" Helo asked as they approached.

"Is what true?" Sam inquired.

"The Admiral called and asked if I would mind shuttling a newly married couple to the Rising Star for their honeymoon. From the way Kara's dressed I'm guessing it must be you guys!" Although she was wearing her favorite old military jacket, the one she had rescued from her apartment on Caprica, her wedding dress was still plainly visible.

"Can you believe I let her talk me into marrying her?" Sam said as he gave Kara a mischievous smile.

"Shut up!" Kara replied while beaming up at him radiantly she put her arms around his neck and brought his mouth to hers.

Helo broke out in a huge grin and said, "I didn't even know you guys were even engaged," and then practically yelled, "Congratulations!" He extended his hand to Sam who shook it enthusiastically. Then he hugged Kara in a huge embrace. "Hey everybody," said as he loosened his hold on her and called out loudly for all in the hangar bay to hear, "Starbuck just got married!"

That got everybody's attention; they stopped whatever they were doing to come over to where the three of them were standing.

It wasn't often that they were able to put Starbuck on the spot, and they weren't about to let this opportunity slip away. Those that knew Kara best had many suggestive comments to make about just what she and Sam should do on their honeymoon. Kara was a good sport knowing that if it had been one of them she would have enjoyed dishing out the same comments to them.

"Okay, Kat, that's enough drooling over my husband. You better go calm yourself down by frakking Hot Dog." That received a laugh from everyone, including Hot Dog.

Sam whispered something to Helo who nodded his head and announced, "Well, I know Starbuck and Sam would love to stand around and talk all evening, but I feel it's my duty to drag them off to their honeymoon." Lots of catcalls and more suggestive comments were heard as they boarded the raptor.

"So Helo, how does it feel to be setting out on our honeymoon with us?" Kara laughingly asked as the raptor door closed.

Helo was glad to see his friend so happy. He knew she and Sam had been through a lot since getting back to the fleet. "Just keep your clothes on till we get to the Rising Star, please. I don't need any distractions while I'm flying."

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Sam dropped the duffel bag carrying their things outside the hatch to their room on the Rising Star. "Okay, Mrs. Anders, prepare for the traditional carrying across the threshold," Sam said as he pushed the hatch door ajar.

"Who said I want to be called 'Mrs. Anders'?" Kara teasingly replied.

"Well, you can decide on that later. Enough talking for now, though," he said as he broke out in a smile, bent over, and swooped her up onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He pushed the duffel on the floor into the room with his foot as he walked through the hatch with her beating her fists on his back and trying not to laugh as she yelled, "Put me down, you moron!"

"Your wish is my command, wife!" as he tossed her on the bed and straddled her. He took her hands in his and gently kissed them. Then, with a twinkle in his eyes, he pinned her hands to the bed above her head just as she had done to him the first time they had frakked each other. "Any other requests?" he asked suggestively as he dragged his tongue along the base of her neck.

"Frak!" was all that came out of Kara's mouth as his kisses aroused her very quickly.

Sam stopped what he was doing to raise his head to where he could see Kara's eyes and said, "Now there's a great suggestion. Wish I'd thought of it!"

"Will you please quit talking so mmm….." replied Kara, as Sam resumed his attention to her neck. He loved the way his attention seemed to rend her unable to speak coherently.

Once again Sam broke off what he was doing. This time he scooted himself further back and pulled Kara by her hands to a sitting position. He looked deep into her eyes as he tenderly cradled her face between his large hands. It warmed his heart to see the love and desire he felt for Kara reflected back from her eyes. Without breaking that link between them, he began to unbutton Kara's jacket and pushed it off of her shoulders. Kara let it slide down her arms and then tossed it onto the floor beside the bed.

Sam pushed the thin spaghetti straps of Kara's dress off her shoulders. Finally breaking eye contact, his eyes followed his left finger as it pushed the strap down her right arm to the perfect circle emblazoned on her arm. He traced the circle with his finger and smiled at Kara. She glanced down at the circle on her arm and reached to unzip Sam's jacket. She wanted to see his mark signifying his love and devotion to her. He removed his jacket, but Kara decided his shirt needed removing as well, and it quickly joined the stack of clothing beginning to accumulate beside the bed. Sam reached behind her and began unzipping her dress as he resumed kissing her neck. Kara tilted her head back to give him better access and let out a small gasp of surprise.

Sam stopped his kisses to look at Kara's face. She had a naughty smile on her lips. Her eyes motioned for him to look up. Puzzled, he looked up at the ceiling to see their image reflected in a huge series of mirrors positioned directly over the bed.

"They don't call this the honeymoon suite for nothing," Sam said laughing.

Kara pulled him down till he was lying beside her left side. Looking up at the mirrors, she watched herself put a leg over his and embrace him so that the individual circles on their arms blended into one. She rested her head against his chest and sighed contentedly as her eyes connected with his in the reflection above.

Sam felt like his heart would burst with happiness as he gazed up at the reflection of the woman of his dreams lying lovingly in his arms wearing the mark stating she was his and his alone. Something primal surged within him. Wanting to feel her body against his, he eagerly began to tug her dress down. As her breasts were revealed he took in a sharp breath, but he did not stop until she was wearing only a white, lacy thong.

Kara felt the same strong desire and went to work unbuckling Sam's belt and unzipping his pants. She realized it had been over a month since they had made love, and her desire to have him between her legs was heating her up quickly. As she removed Sam's underwear his erection showed her his desire matched her own. Sam straddled her again and held her hands in his against the bed as he rubbed his face between her breasts. He began kissing her breasts but avoided the nipples to tease her. Suddenly he took a nipple in his mouth and rubbed the back of his tongue over it repeatedly while breathing in through his mouth. Kara arched her back and moaned in pleasure. He repeated the same technique on the other breast before beginning a trail of kisses down to her navel. Memories of kissing Kara there back on Caprica came to mind. He thought to himself, _this time I have a mission to accomplish: frak this woman senseles_s. He released her hands and ran his down her sides enjoying the softness of her skin. He put his hands underneath the sides of her thong and pushed it away from her body. He slowly moved it down her legs, kissing her inner thighs as he did so. As he finally removed it from her body, he held it up for her to see.

"I don't know which I like more: seeing you wear this or getting to take it off you." She just smiled her provocative smile as he tossed it onto the mound of clothes.

One hand continued to caress her body while the other went to the spot between her legs that he knew would bring her to ecstasy. Kara spread her legs wide in order for him to get a better angle at which to pleasure her. He brought her to the brink of coming and then shifted his body till he was teasing her with his cock. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him inside her. They both gasped simultaneously as the sensation initially overwhelmed them. Sam withdrew himself slowly causing Kara to moan in disappointment; she felt so complete with him inside her.

"Listen," he said to her.

As he repeated the process of entering and withdrawing from her, the sound of her wetness lubricating his thrusts was easy to hear.

"That's the sound of our desire…and love," he whispered.

Frakking Sam was commandeering all of her senses; the feel of him thrusting into her, the sounds of her wetness, the smell of her sex, the taste of salt from kissing him, all worked together to make her grip him harder with her legs. Her body language urged him to frak her harder. He was as aroused as she was; her encouragement spurred him to fulfill her desire. Her breathing became quick gasps as she whimpered "Sam!" "Sam!"

He continued his thrusting as he felt her begin to spasm into an orgasm; he joined her in going over the edge.

Their spent bodies lay entangled in each others arms as they recovered from their exertions. Sam kissed Kara's forehead and brushed some stray hairs away from her face.

Kara looked up at their reflection again. She embraced him so that the rings on their arms once again united into one.

"I think we should make this permanent." Kara said.

"Uh… Kara, marriage is permanent," Sam teased her.

"The rings, you moron!" she said laughingly.

He thought about that for a moment. He carefully traced the ring on her arm with two fingers. "Are you sure? Your skin is so beautiful the way it is."

She propped herself up on an elbow so she could look at him better. "Well, I did think of adding some embellishment to the rings."

Sam gave her a searching look. He could never be sure just how wild some of her ideas would turn out to be.

"Embellishments?" he asked skeptically.

"I was thinking about wings - one on your ring and one on mine; something that you wouldn't be able to tell what it is unless our rings are joined."

Sam marveled to himself how Kara's eyes sparkled when she became excited about an idea. He thought about her proposal for just a second. His fingers that had been tracing her ring moved to her chin which he gently held while he kissed her lips.

"I'm fine with whatever you want Kara. I just want you to be happy."

Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been a whirlwind of a day; when she had awoken that morning little did she suspect she would find herself married by the end of it. She felt happy and contented, though. The end of the world had reinforced the need to grab what she could when she could. She knew she and Sam could build a good life together. So far they were off to a good start.


End file.
